Day 121: Bondoukou – Mole Park

One of the worst roads of the trip and a long day of driving from Bondoukou to Mole National Park.

Shortly after Bondoukou the tar ends and the track quickly becomes rough. We make moderately fast progress to the border. Small and done quickly in an hour and a half. On both the Ivorian and Ghanaian sides, everyone is extremely friendly.

In Sampa we try to buy a SIM card. This is only possible for residence or holders of a Ghana Card. A Ghana Card for tourists is only available in Accra and perhaps in Kumasi. How good that we installed the first e-SIM of our lives on a cell phone in advance.

And there is a working ATM on site.

After Sampa the road doesn't get any better. Old tar residues, gravel, endless dust, potholes, ruts. Four to six nasty speed bumpers in each village. A small stretch is actually tarred (R94 to the north), then just potholes and zigzags.

Plus an incredible number of checkpoints. At some point we stopped counting.

In Banda Nkwanta we see the first historic mosque, a mud building in Sudanese style. Almost looks like an art installation.

Including the border crossing, we need 10 hours to cover 314 km. And we arrive in Mole National Park at dusk – it shouldn't have been any later.

There is a somewhat greasy pizza in the restaurant to end the day and we meet acquaintances of Domi and Lio there: Justine and Simon.